April 30, 2009

With the current economic crisis, the mask of imperialism has been ripped off with the full explosive force of its own internal contradictions. Youth and students and the working peoples of the world are being forced to pay for a crisis we did not create. On May Day 2009, the YCL-LJC joins in solidarity with the wave of young people across Canada and internationally resisting the effects of the crisis, and calling for an end to imperialist war and aggression.

If young people in Canada needed a reason to fight-back, look at this March’s youth unemployment figures: 14.8%, the highest in eleven years and the fastest rate of job decline among all age groups with 122,000 jobs lost since October 2008.

In this context, nowhere in Canada has Employment Insurance been made more accessible to youth. Nowhere has the extreme crisis of Aboriginal peoples’ national oppression been addressed. Not one province has moved to close the wage gap between men and women, or announced a substantial tuition reduction (in fact, the opposite), or invested in affordable housing for youth, or even legislated a minimum wage above the poverty line. Instead, some governments are reducing the discriminatory youth or student minimum wage rates!

The billion-dollar federal military budget is increasing – fueling Canada’s imperialist foreign policy in Afghanistan, as well as Sudan, Haiti, and Yugoslavia (supporting reactionary regimes like Colombia and Israel). On all levels – federal, provincial, municipal – the state has demanded lower wages, workers’ pensions and savings, while rewarding CEOs with billions of worker’s money in slush funds and more credit. Our stakes are on the same side as the industrial workers fighting concessions, and diametrically opposed to the bosses.

This global crisis is a crisis of capitalism. The way forward is to fight – to build and strengthen a broad and powerful people’s movement, overcome all divisions of racism, sexism, homophobia, ageism, turn the tables on the Harper Conservatives, and all our oppressors in their executive suits, and to win a bold new direction centered on ecological sustainability and the people’s needs – not corporate greed.

In this sharpening struggle on May Day 2009, we raise the red flag of socialism as urgent, necessary and possible! We extend our warm militant greetings of fraternal solidarity and stand with all those who are struggling for justice and dignity across Canada and around the world.

April 21, 2009

The continued slanderous disinformation campaign labeling anti-Semitic all those who condemn Zionism and Israeli’s occupation of Palestine is wearing thin.

Last week, the National Post newspaper targeted the brave students and educators at Toronto’s alternative StudentSchool who have launched High School Students Against Israeli Apartheid. The Post even steeped to red-baiting, saying that school coordinator Mr John Morton “refused interview requests from the National Post, but he outlined the school's continued support for such programs in a letter to the Web site Rebel Youth Magazine, a blog published by the Young Communist League of Canada.” (National Post, April 6th)

If The Post had done its homework, writer Dave Bowden would have found Mr. Morton’s supposed letter was simply an email widely circulated among the broad progressive majority in solidarity with the sovereign people of Palestine and outraged by Israel’s racist and brutal occupation, backed by US and Canadian foreign policy.

But then lack of fact-checking has never stopped The National Post from zealously churning-out Harper Tory capitalist drivel – attacking workers, women, youth and students, Aboriginal peoples, Quebequois, people of colour, Muslims and Arabs, people with disabilities, artists, you name it. The Post continually worships the market, while failing to make a profit from its own sales.

The Post’s inflammatory articles against the StudentSchool have prompted an investigation into its coordinator.Youth today are widely condemned for not voting, and then publicly chastised when we do engage in politics. Teachers who try to encourage discussion in class rooms are singled out for special scrutiny. This does not foster an educational environment, it deliberately creates an atmosphere of fear aimed at stifling free speech.

Anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism. The shrill claims to the contrary do not cut ice in Canada, nor around the world. The Young Communist League of Canada warmly applauds and expresses our full solidarity with the StudentSchool, which has also recently banned police from its corridors, and High School Students Against Israeli Apartheid. Justice is on your side, as it is on the side of the Palestinian people.

April 19, 2009

In the last months the attack against the democratic rights and freedoms of the peoples and youth of the world has been deepened by the imperialist Governments and its international, regional and national structures.

The criminalization of those who struggle against the imperialist world order and to overthrow imperialism itself is a common line of action, which is focusing particularly the communist forces. Nevertheless, WFDY believes that the attack to the communist forces has a much deeper meaning than only these forces (which would be unacceptable anyway), but it aims to destroy all resistance against imperialism.

The presidency of the European Union (now run by the Czech Government), and its political line of supporting the so called “researches against the dictatorships in Europe” is a clear attempt to rewrite History, comparing the hideous crimes of Nazism with the so called “Stalinism”, a period that the imperialist writers of history want to criminalize to confuse the people. In this same frame, the holding of a conference about “the resistance against communism in Czechoslovakia” is a new opportunity to try to, once again, rewrite History.

However, this is not a question of the past and only that. In fact, it is very much connected to the daily situation of the world today and for its future. In a moment when the capitalist crisis is clearly showing the dead ends and the self-destructive character of the capitalist system and the impossibility for a future of peace, sovereignty and with social and political rights for all mankind, it is necessary for imperialism to survive to chase those who can bury it! That is why now imperialism is developing a new “witch hunt”, trying that the people and youth of the world do not believe that it is possible to struggle and win, that it is possible to defeat imperialism.

WFDY denounces that all these worries with “democracy” coming from the European Union is nothing but a way to impose the imperialism world order. Let us remind that: it is the very same Czech Government that now is the presidency of EU that criminalized and banned KSM (the Czech Communist Youth Union) for its political program, as well as it happens in several other former socialist countries (as Hungary, or in the Baltic area), where communists, their organizations and political elements are forbidden and chased, this very same European Union is deepening bounds with the state of Israel, supporting (directly and indirectly) the daily massacre and humiliation of the Palestinian people, the same EU that keeps cooperating everyday more and more with NATO, a war instrument that has brought death to thousands of peoples over the last years, the same EU that cooperates with USA in its strategy to promote interferences inside the Cuban policies, creating NGO’s openly for that purpose, and the same EU that cooperates with the dictatorial regimes of Colombia and Egypt, where everyday people are killed, chased or wounded by their political options only

Furthermore WFDY denounces the situation of the countries inside EU itself has a clear demonstration on how dishonest this worry about the democracy is. The still to explain death of a person in a demonstration (London, UK), the prohibition for communists to be teachers (Germany), the arresting and interferences inside the students unions conducted by the police (Portugal), the prohibition of a cultural festival because of one of the bands invited having lyrics about the resistance (Spain) the inhuman expelling of the immigrants and way they are exploited and chased (Italy), among many other measures, explain by themselves how empty the word “democracy” is for imperialism.

To all this only one answer can be given by the youth and the people of the world: the struggle! WFDY calls upon all its member and friend organization to denounce as much as possible the ongoing attempt to criminalize the struggle we develop, particularly the communist organizations, during the days of the conference about Czechoslovakia (15 and 16 of April).

Moreover, WFDY states that despite the rough times that come ahead of us this a sign that imperialism knows we can win, so let us reinforce our daily struggle in the schools, places of work and neighborhoods, never being afraid of what we are and we struggle for, as it is the only way for mankind to achieve the long waited lasting peace and social development that imperialism keeps trying to postpone.

We will defeat imperialism!

** Solidarity towards Bolivia!April 13

The World Federation of Democratic Youth has heard the news of the decision of President Evo Morales and an important group of members of its party and member of the trade unions of Bolivia to start a hunger strike, against the manoeuvres that the Bolivian oligarchy is making in the Congress, which would mean the implementation of a law that would block the implementation of the Constitution and the elections that are to be held near the end of this year.

The deep transformations that the Government of Evo Morales has achieved, which allowed the country to be free of illiteracy, to provide medical care for the poorest and has had excellent results in the economy, has always had the opposition of the imperialist oligarchy of Bolivia who keeps not accepting what the people has decided to change for ever.

WFDY expresses its full support the President Evo Morales, and to the youth and people of Bolivia, that are struggling to build a better future, and calls upon all its member and friend organizations as well as to all the young people of the world to express the support to the process of changes that has been occurring in Bolivia and to condemn all actions of the Bolivian oligarchy, which is the same oligarchy of all the world, capitalist and imperialist.

** Solidarity towards the Colombia youthApril 7

The World Federation of Democratic Youth, is following with much attention the serious situation of the human rights lived in Colombia and particularly the continuous attacks against the youth and students leaders, which are chased, murdered and force do leave the country, without any guarantee by the fascist government of Colombia.

The Government of Alvaro Uribe has continued it policies of hostilities against the young people in the last weeks, with the support of the paramilitary groups (who are said not exist anymore), murdering four students and wounding other three, distributing propaganda to create fear among the population.

WFDY, condemns these actions that have been held against the Colombian young people and students, by the fascist government of Alvaro Uribe Velez, and calls upon all its member and friend organizations as well as all the progressive youth of the world to express its condemnation of the colombian government and the support to the demand of the youth organizations of Colombia so that justice is made and that the material and intelectual responsible for everything that happened are investigated and punished.

The YCL-LJC Canada is the Canadian member of the World Federation of Democratic Youth

April 15, 2009

The elimination of the Women’s Studies programme by the University of Guelph’s senate is a lightning flash, warning students about a sharpening struggle on campuses. We’re heading into the worst economic crisis our generation has seen. Already the rumbling thunder of opposition has been heard as Guelph students flooded the senate chambers. Solidarity rallies were organized on several campuses across the country.

This is a deliberate, ideologically-motivated attack on small programs as well as women’s and student’s rights. It will save the University less than 0.17 percent of its deficit!

At the same time, the University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Sciences has swept in ‘flat fees’ requiring incoming students to pay a set, five-course fee rather than per-course. This will restrict access to education for part-time students who are working and going to school. Does the university think our wages have suddenly increased? Just weeks ago, mass outcry stopped Premier McGuinty from halting an increase in minimum wage (and even with the increase, full time workers are at least $3,000 below the poverty line).

These decisions can be reversed by the pressure of students, faculty and staff together with labour and other peoples’ movements.Everyone should know that the Guelph mobilization did prevent the elimination of Organic Agriculture, a program dedicated to solving desperate environmental problems in a framework free of the usual corporate-financed research on campus.

Behind closed doors Guelph’s administrators might think they can get away with an attack on feminism.But this fight is not over. Half the world is women, women students are the growing majority on campuses, and Women’s Studies is perhaps the only academic forum on campus dedicated to the issues of sexism, racism, homophobia and patriarchy. These days, Women’s Studies is being introduced into High School curricula. Having Women’s Studies is in everyone’s interest.

The funding crunch and broader economic crisis facing post-secondary institutions across Ontario was not caused by students or workers.We shouldn’t have to pay for it.In fact, at this time it is all the more necessary to increase access to education by reducing then eliminating tuition fees, creating jobs by hiring more faculty – increasing the number of people of colour and women faculty – expanding accessible childcare on campus, and expanding democratic student participation in the university.

McGuinty’s latest budget gives Ontario’s corporations one of the lowest tax rates in North America. It provides students, however, with only $780 million in capital funding. It continues the dangerous trend away from public funding and towards reliance on tuition fees, illegal ancillary fees, and endowment funds that was begun under the Mike Harris Tories. The U of T just announced it has lost $1.3 billion in endowment money because of the casino capitalist market (the manager of those funds, by the way, makes $170, 000 per semester).

All students must get organized with our allies and fight-back to make the capitalists pay for this crisis – not the youth, workers, women, Aboriginal peoples, people of colour, and the poor. Reactionary forces are already working to mislead students in this battle. Alternative campus media and CBC news recently exposed that the Conservative Party is holding Canada-wide skills training sessions, with sitting MPs present, about infiltrating and liquidating student unions, the Canadian Federation of Students, and the Ontario Public Interest Research Groups.

The Young Communist League (Ontario) expresses our full solidarity with the struggles of students to preserve their courses and make access to post-secondary education a right. The attack on Women’s Studies is part of the general attack on women, today spear-headed by the Harper Conservatives.We call upon all democratic-minded people to join with this fight. We demand emergency anti-crisis measures for students, including:

•Freezing, reducing and eliminating tuition fees

•Grants not loans

•Massive expansion of affordable housing on campus

•Quality, accessible childcare

•Free books

•Increasing student’s and worker’s representation in University administration

•Raising the minimum wage to $15

•Jobs not bombs; troops out now!

The fight-back of peoples’ movements necessary to win such measures could lead to more substantial demands, like nationalization of Canada’s energy and automotive industries, and banking. And that could open the door to a profound struggle to eliminate this sick and dangerous capitalist system of oppression and exploitation, which must ultimately be replaced by something radically better – guaranteeing people’s rights, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability – called socialism.

SEE A REVOLUTION IN MOTION

Past YCL Statements

Join the struggle!

The Young Communist League of Canada is a marxist-leninist organization of youth who struggle for socialism and work to build a strong youth and student movement.

We are a multi-ethnic organization of young workers, employed and unemployed, young women and men. We work in movements for peace and democracy and against racism, sexism homophobia, national oppression and destruction of our environment.

We work in our unions and workplaces for better wages, and in our high schools for democratic and equal education, our colleges, universities and trade schools for accesibility. We bring forth these viewpoints through our League's agitational magazine, Rebel Youth.

We work together for a Canada without exploitation where the workers hold all political, social and economic power. We recognize that since youth are the future, we must play a vital role in fighting for socialism.